The invention relates to a communications system for transmitting accounting instructions, according to the preamble of Patent claim 1.
Such communications systems are known with clear prior use.
A multiplicity of prepayment smart cards, such as telephone cards, customer cards, credit cards etc. are in use for this purpose, which are suitable for being temporarily inserted into a remote device, which is physically separated from a central accounting device, in order to pay for goods or services. It is disadvantageous that these prepayment smart cards are normally suitable for a narrow specific purpose, for example telephone cards are suitable only for telephoning when using terminals of a single telephone organization, and can be used in conjunction with remote devices of varying convenience. Furthermore, obtaining such a prepayment smart card is normally accompanied by monetary loss. In addition, for liability reasons, such smart cards have limited maximum values, which limit their usability to a major extent.
Furthermore, a communications system for transmitting accounting instructions, so-called xe2x80x9chomebankingxe2x80x9d, has become known in-which the user of this system uses a personal computer with a modem to transmit accounting instructions to a central accounting device, via a telephone link. The technical devices required for this purpose are transportable only to a limited extent. Furthermore, this method suffers from the lack of capability to make cash payments. In addition, the precautions for protection against unlegitimized access are, at least, incomplete.
The invention is thus based on the object of specifying a communications system of this generic type, which allows convenient access with the best-possible security against unlegitimized access, as well as wide acceptance.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in a first variant by the means in Patent claim 1. Advantageous refinements of the first variant of the invention are described in Patent claims 2 to 6.
The invention is in this case based on a communications system which is known per se for transmitting accounting instructions, which comprises central and remote devices which are at least virtually networked with one another, and in which case the user-specific accounting instructions which can be input at the remote devices are checked for their legitimacy and are passed on to central devices for processing.
The essence of the invention is that an independent second communications system is provided, which comprises fixed-position devices and portable communications terminals which communicate with these fixed-position devices in encrypted form. In this case, the fixed-position devices of the second communications system can at least temporarily be connected to the central devices of the communications system, for transmitting accounting instructions. The portable communications terminals of the second communications system can be used for initial legitimization of user-specific accounting instructions in one of the central devices of the communications system, for transmitting accounting instructions. The invention furthermore provides that an initially legitimized, encrypted accounting code can at least temporarily be stored in the portable communications terminal of the second communications system, and that the initially legitimized, encrypted accounting code can be transmitted, independently of the first and the second communications system for actual accounting purposes to a remote device of the first communications system.
An accounting instruction initiated by a user is input using the means of the portable communications terminal of the second communications system. To this end, the portable communications terminal is equipped with a keyboard and, preferably, with a display apparatus. The accounting instruction is transmitted within the second communications system, using the encryption which is inherent in the second communications system, to a fixed-position device of the second communications system, and is passed on to a central device of the communications system, for transmitting accounting instructions.
User access to the services of the second communications system is protected against unlegitimized access by a multi-stage identification process. To this end, the terminal number of the portable communications terminal, the user""s subscriber number, which is stored on a replaceable module within the portable communications terminal, and the personal identification number of the user are interrogated by the fixed-position devices of the second communications system. This multi-stage identification process prevents unlegitimized access to the second communications system, when used correctly. The second communications system is preferably a mobile communications system based on the GSM Standard.
A high level of convenience is advantageously achieved with the best-possible security against unlegitimized access, since known portable communications terminals have such small volumes that they can always be carried on the person.
An additional positive effect may be regarded as being that accounting business can be carried out in addition using a single device carried on the person, which is in any case already widely used for the purpose of verbal and data communication.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in a second variant by the means in Patent claim 7. Advantageous refinements of the second variant of the invention are described in Patent claims 8 to 12.
The invention is in this case based on a communications system which is known per se for transmitting accounting instructions, which comprises central and remote devices which are at least virtually networked with one another, in which case the user-specific accounting instructions which can be input on the remote devices are checked for their legitimacy and are passed on to central devices for processing.
The essence of the invention is that an independent second communications system is provided, which comprises fixed-position devices and portable communications terminals which communicate with these fixed-position devices in encrypted form. In this case, the fixed-position devices of the second communications system can at least temporarily be connected to the central devices of the communications system, for transmitting accounting instructions. The portable communications terminals of the second communications system can be used, after legitimization to initiate user-specific accounting instructions in one of the remote devices of the communications system for transmitting accounting instructions. In this case, the user is legitimized during his access to the second communications system.
User access to the services of the second communications system is protected against unlegitimized access by a multi-stage identification process. To this end, the terminal number of the portable communications terminal, the user""s subscriber number, which is stored on a replaceable module within the portable communications terminal, and the personal identification number of the user are interrogated by the fixed-position devices of the second communications system. This multi-stage identification process prevents unlegitimized access to the second communications system, when used correctly. The second communications system is preferably a mobile communications system based on the GSM Standard.
There is advantageously no need for any further legitimization.
The invention furthermore provides that initiated and legitimized accounting instructions can be transmitted as an accounting code, originating from the remote devices of the first communications system, via the portable communications terminal of the second communications system, at least to a fixed-position device of the second communications system. The accounting codes for actual accounting purposes can be transmitted from this fixed-position device to the central device of the first communications system.
In this case, there is advantageously no need for the central and remote devices of the first communications system to be networked.
An accounting instruction initiated by a user is input using the means of the portable communications terminal of the second communications system. The portable communications terminal is equipped with a keyboard and, preferably, with a display apparatus for this purpose. The accounting instruction is converted within the remote device of the of the [sic] communications system for transmitting accounting instructions into an accounting code, which is transmitted via devices of the second communications system in encrypted form.
The accounting codes can be settled in a fixed-position device and can be debited from the user together with the user-specific debit for using the services of the second communications system. In this case, it is regarded as advantageous that the user now receives only a single overall bill periodically for information and checking, both for the use of the services of the second communications system and for payment for goods and services to and from remote devices of the communications system for transmitting accounting instructions.
Furthermore, a high level of convenience is advantageously achieved with the best-possible security against unlegitimized access, since known portable communications terminals have such small volumes that they can always be carried on the person.
An additional positive effect may be regarded as being that accounting business can be carried out in addition using a single device carried on the person, which is in any case already widely used.for the purpose of verbal and data communication.